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Sarah Ahmed
Ms. Kucik
Independent Research G/T
30 April 2014
Is It Really G-r-r-r-r-reat? The Dark Side of Food Marketing to Children
Sugary Disney princess cereals, Dora dairy products, Transformers cookies and Trix
yogurt tend to be foods that appeal to children. However, food companies do not consider the
detrimental effect these foods can have on the developing body of a child. These unhealthy and
nutrient deprived foods are marketed to children using their favorite character, or perhaps a
recognizable slogan. Food companies pay little regard to the unhealthy qualities of these foods;
they are marketed anyway. According to the Federal Trade Commission, food and beverage
companies spend approximately $1.8 billion dollars a year marketing food to young children.
Food marketing is becoming a major public health concern. Due to the heavy marketing of foods
high in fat, sugar, sodium and calories, food marketing is a significant contributor to childhood
obesity.
Childhood obesity is becoming a serious problem in the United States. According to a
study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug
Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, childhood obesity rates have tripled
since 1980. As of 2014, one in three children in the United States are overweight or obese. This
puts them at risk for lifelong obesity and increases their chance of developing conditions such as
heart disease and cancer (CDC, FDA, USDA). Childhood obesity is defined as being more than
twenty percent above a child’s average height and weight. As of 2014, thirty two percent of
children are now overweight or obese, with seventeen percent falling in the obese range (FTC
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45). It is generally accepted that obesity is caused by lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet,
however, one fails to consider why a child is more inclined to pick one food over another. Food
and beverage companies realize that if a certain food includes a child’s favorite television or
movie character, that food will be more desirable to the child. Food and beverage industries use
all means to appeal to children. They use cartoon characters, promotions, creative packaging,
television advertisements and mobile marketing, among a few techniques (CCFC). The
marketing techniques employed are extremely clever and manipulative. Children unknowingly
desire fatty and sugary foods, thus increasing the rate of childhood obesity.
Foods that are marketed are very unhealthy and lead to unhealthy consumption patterns
in children. The food industry spares no expense to advertise sugary and fatty foods to children.
Annually, approximately “$1.6 billion dollars is spent advertising foods to the youth of America”
(McGinnis and Appleton 50). Children included in this group range from ages two through
eighteen. According to Blanke Doug, sixty three percent of this total was spent to market just
three types of products- sugary breakfast cereals, fast food, and carbonated drinks. These foods
are low in the vitamins and minerals but high in saturated fats, trans fats, sugar and sodium. For
example, the breakfast cereal Frosted Flakes are advertised to be healthy and full of grains a
child needs, yet one serving of this popular cereal contains eleven grams of sugar which is nearly
half of what a child should eat daily. Around eighty percent of foods marketed on television are
unhealthy, but the more children are exposed to advertisements of these foods, the more they
desire them (Richardson). They do not realize the nutritional value of the food marketed to them,
they just want the food that is being heavily marketed to them.
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Food and beverage companies use very manipulative and well researched techniques to
advertise their unhealthy foods in order to make them appealing to the youth of America. They
most commonly advertise using television, radio and print. Children ages five to ten are more
easily targeted through television or radio; food and beverage companies take full advantage of
that. A report conducted by the Federal Trade Commission revealed that companies spent nearly
$135 million dollars in ads directed towards children in 2009 alone. That rate has been steadily
increasing ever since. Television advertisements are very meticulously produced and well
researched. Marketing companies employ many techniques they think will entice children with
the most common techniques on television being “repetitive slogans, famous characters, vibrant
and catchy production features (action and movement, rapid pacing, sound effects” (Cami 1).
All these marketing techniques seize a child’s attention and make him or her nag their
parents to buy the unhealthy food that is marketed. These techniques not only appeal to the
youth, they also appeals to parents. Food and beverage companies offer parents coupons and
discounts to buy certain foods, even if they are not beneficial to the family’s health. If a food is
lower in cost and convenient, parents prefer to purchase that food rather than a healthier, yet time
consuming option. Along with the traditional techniques, the food industry extensively uses
Neuromarketing which are brain research techniques that can truly measure a consumer's
response to marketing. It is able to “observe users deep cognitive and emotional reactions to
marketing” (Chester, Cheyne, Dorfman and Larson). Neuromarketing shows how advanced
technology of the twenty first century is and how hard food and beverage companies try to attract
children. The marketers observe everything that will bring them a step closer to figuring out what
exactly a child wants and getting him or her to buy unhealthy food, even if the effects are
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harmful.
Food and beverage industries also use the internet, viral marketing and websites to
advertise foods, although this form of marketing is not as prevalent. According to the Federal
Trade Commission, this accounts for 7% of all marketing. The Yale Rudd Center concluded,
“They (food companies) continue to find new and creative ways to reach children, often blurring
the line between content and advertising and encouraging children to send marketing messages
to their friends through Youtube, Facebook, and other social media.” As with television, children
do not realize they are being manipulated since they can not distinguish between advertisements
and actual programming. Since these food companies blur the line between content and
advertising, young children are easy targets for food companies.
An example is the television advertisement for Teddy Bear grahams. Children generally
like teddy bears and it is present in many television ads or movies children watch such as the
Berenstain bears, Winnie the Pooh and the popular movie, the Jungle Book. Children are left
confused on whether the advertisement was actual programming, or just an ad. This is an
example of “stealth advertising” (Chester et al). This form of advertising is based on the theory
that advertising is most effective when consumers do not recognize it as advertising. Taking
advantage of the fact that online marketing to children is far less regulated than television, these
advertisers will extensively use websites or other interactive, yet appealing sources to market
food to children (Cami 2). This form of advertising exposes a child to many products, yet they
remain unaware of it.
One such example is the website for Post Foods. On this website, children set up virtual
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people and are able to play games with them. These games allow children to unlock special
features such as wallpapers, clothes for their virtual icons and coupons. The more time a child
spends on this website, the more advertisements they are exposed to for sugary foods. This
contributes to childhood obesity. Websites appeal to parents as they offer codes, sweepstakes,
and coupons which appeal to parents. Websites give free downloads like posters, wallpapers,
bookmarks and icons. They also take advantage of popular films or pop culture to advertise and
include clips of characters from a movie for sweepstakes (FTC 66). Food and beverage
companies make sure to set up elaborate websites full of games and puzzles which appeal to
children and make them stay on the internet longer, therefore being influenced by these
companies.
Children are extremely vulnerable to food marketing. According to Eric Schlosser, author
of Fast Food Nation, brand loyalty begins when a child is merely two years old. The influence of
marketing on children is so significant that they are able to recognize slogans and brand logos
before their own names (Etego 3). Kids especially use “pester power” where they nag their
parents to buy a certain food (Schlosser 10. According to the Yale Rudd Center, the average
child in the United States views around 13 food commercials a day, totaling 4,700 a year. The
average teenager in the United States views 16 food commercials a day, totaling 5,900 a year.”
Television is such a huge part of the twenty first century’s child and the food industries
understand that. Children are the food industry’s “surrogate salesmen.” America certainly does
not need these salesmen.
Food and beverage companies have steadily been increasing the different categories of
food they advertise. According to the Federal Trade Commission, dairy product marketing to
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children increased from $54.5 million in 2006 to $78.4 million in 2009. Dora yogurt products
and convenient snack foods such as go gurt are especially popular in grocery stores. These
products are extremely sugary but they appeal to younger children. However, the food industry
does not target only younger children. They aim to entice both children from elementary schools
to high schools. In 2009, “17% of the child-directed food marketing ($173 million) and 10% of
the teen directed food marketing was spent on breakfast cereal” (FTC 31).
Children are more vulnerable and the food and beverage companies take advantage of
that fact. “Food and beverages, particularly candy, carbonated soft drinks, and salty snacks or
chips, were ranked among the top leading items that teens aged thirteen to seventeen purchase
with their own money” (Institute Of Medicine of the National Academies). High school students
have more freedom with their money and can spend it on what they wish, rather than demand a
certain food from their parents. However, they tend to pick what is convenient and cheap such as
fast food, sugary products and junk food, among a few foods. In 2006, only $11.5 million of the
$2.1 billion spent marketing food to children was for fruits and vegetables. (Cami 4). High
school students consume significant amounts of junk food which leads them to develop
unhealthy diets. These fat, sugar and sodium filled diets negatively affect their health.
Unfortunately, the government has not imposed strict guidelines on food and beverage
companies to monitor food marketing. In 2006, Congress created the Children’s Food and
Beverage Advertising Initiative(CFBAI)-a self-regulatory program administered by the Council
of Better Business Bureaus to restrict food marketing aimed at children under the age of 12 (Yale
Rudd Center). However, “through narrow marketing definitions, loopholes in marketing types,
and significant gaps in nutrition standards, the CFBAI nutrition criteria allow companies to
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continue to market foods and beverages high in calories, sodium, saturated fat and/or added
sugars” (Dorfman and Wootan 2). Parents and the youth of America continue to watch
advertisements marketing foods that do not benefit them, yet the government does not intervene
and regulate these industries.
In 2009, Congress formed Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children
(Schlosser 44). In 2012, Congress requested this agency to conduct an examination of the
loopholes food and beverage companies use to maneuver their way around strict guidelines. To
date, that analysis has not been completed (Dorfman 3). This is a form of corruption which is
costing America the health of its youth because Congress is not strictly enforcing these
regulations on these food and beverage companies. This lack of regulation, in turn, harms the
youth of America and causes them to consume unhealthy diets. First Lady, Michelle Obama,
called a White House meeting to improve nutrition of food marketed towards children (Cohen).
She promoted the program Let’s Move! which is attempting to help solve the problem of
childhood obesity. She stated, “When the average child is now spending nearly eight hours a day
in front of some kind of screen, many of their opinions and preferences are being shaped by the
marketing campaigns you all create. And that’s where the problem comes in.” Obama realizes
the high amount of television a child tends to watch and the profound effect food advertising has
on them. Indeed, that truly is where the problem comes in.
With proper guidance by parents and legislation, unhealthy food marketing may be
curbed. Actions can be taken to reduce the unhealthy effects marketing has on children, thus
lowering the rate of childhood obesity. Parents and guardians need to ignore “pester power” and
take control of their child’s diet. They also need to educate their children and discuss healthier
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habits with their children. Food and beverage companies need to promote healthier food. They
should encourage children to eat a healthy diet and include vital nutrients needed from the food
pyramid into their diet. Food industry should work through the Children’s Advertising Review
Unit (CARU) to “revise, expand, enforce and evaluate explicit industry self regulatory guidelines
beyond traditional advertising to include evolving vehicles and venues for marketing
communications” (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies).
The government needs to realize how serious the effects of food marketing to children
truly are. It must develop a stronger role in food marketing and impose strict guidelines on food
and beverage companies. Although it is generally accepted that childhood obesity is caused by
an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, one tends to not consider the factors behind why a child
may be eating an unhealthy food or why a child may not exercise. Food marketing to children is
a very important factor that causes obesity, yet it is commonly overlooked. It is crucial to set
specific regulations on food and beverage companies to curb childhood obesity for the the future
of America, not just profits.
Works Cited
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